Pump



June9, 1931. a. A. HELMLING PUMP Filed Se t. 14. 1928 INVETOIRJUI fi 620/546 flew/lg BY v A T TORNEY Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES GEORGE A. HELMLING, F PAMPA, TEXAS PUMP Application filed September 14, 1928. Serial No. 306,068.

My invention relates to oil'well apparatus and more particularly to pumps having a working barrel and a standing valve, the principal object of the invention being to control the admission of gases from the well to the working barrel, whereby the pump may be enabled to continuously lift liquid so long as liquid rises in the well to the level of the standing valve.

In ordinary oil well pumping apparatus, a working barrel is suspended in a well to a point adjacent an oil pocket and a perforate pipe or strainer is suspended from the working barrel into an oil pocket, the oil passing through perforations of the pipe and being lifted into the working barrel by the suction of the pump plunger and upwardly to the top of the well.

A standing valve support may be mounted in the lower end of the barrel and is often internally screw threaded to receive and support a gas trap pipe for suspending the same downwardly in the strainer to form a chamber therewith for trapping gas between the strainer and the pipe, and thus prevent the gas from entering the working barrel.

The trapping pipes must be of relatively small diameter to fit into the valve supports, and therefore usually their internal diameters are much smaller than that of the working barrel and than the opening through the valve support, so that the potential capacity of the pump is materially restricted.

A further object of my invention therefore is to provide improved means for supporting a gas trap pipe whereby a relatively large pipe may be suspended in a strainer and the gas trapped without reducing the capacity of the pump.

As the level of oil in a well pocket recedes, a skin or relatively impervious seal is formed on the exposed face of the pocket due to the combined action of air, gas, parafline, and

fluids of the strata, the seal preventing flow of oil from the strata into the pocket. When a pocket has been completely emptied by the pump, the entire surface thereof may be thus sealed and oil will be prevented from percolating into the pocket. Many methods have been devised for breaking the seal to permit the oil to fill the pocket and rise in the well so that pumping operations may be resumed and the available oil which normally should move from the strata into the pocket may be obtained, all involving expense, trouble, and more or less uncertainty as to the efiectiveness of the treatment.

Further objects of my invention therefore are to prevent the formation of a seal on the face of the pocket, and to cause the automatic suspension of lifting influence by the pump upon the liquid in the well when the level of the liquid recedes to the upper edge of the oil pocket, so that the inner face of the pocket will be always covered by oil.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical central sectional view of the lower end of an oil well equipped with pumping apparatus including my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of a coupling employed in applying my invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33, Fig. 1 illustrating the relatively large diameter of a gas trap pipe suspended in a strainer.

Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional view of a modified application of the invention illustrating a working barrel, the upper portion of a strainer, and means supporting the strainer provided with an air admitting port and a gas trap pipe supportfor the purposes of my invention,

Referring in detail to the drawings:

1 designates generally a gas well including a pocket 2 in gas sand strata 3, 4 designates rock strata above the sand, and 5 well casing supported from the rock strata. A working barrel 6 is suspended in the well and a valve support 7 in the lower end of the working barrel has a valve seat 8 on which a valve 9 is seated, the valve being lifted by operation of the plunger 10 operating in the working barrel to move liquid from the well through the valve upwardly to the top of the well.

The operation of a pump including the elements just described is well-known and the by a special coupling 13 having internal. threads 1e at its upper end for engaging the working barrel and threads 15 at its lower end to recelve the strainer, the coupling having a tapered seat to receive thetapered lower end of the valve support for supporting the same.

In the preferred application of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and Z, the coupling 18 is further provided with an internal annular shoulder 16 adjacent the strainer-receiving threads 15, and the shoulder is spaced from the lower end of the valve support in mounted position by a portionl'f of the coupling. The shoulder is threaded to receive a gas trap pipe 18 adapted for suspension in the strainer so that its lower end will extend below the perforations of the strainer, and the thickness of the shoulder is adapted for mounting a trapping pipe having an internal diameter greater than the internal diameter of the valve support.

The upper end of the gas trap pipe is there fore positioned upon assembly of the apparatus in spaced relation with the lower end of the valve support and the working barrel, and the degree of spacing may be modified to suit a particular purpose as later described.

The coupling 13 is further provided with a relatively narrow port 19 adjacent the lower end of the working barrel and in the spacing portion 17 for admitting air from the well into the working barrel when the level of liquid recedes belowthe port.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 4, a nipple 20 is screw threadedly secured to an ordinary coupling 21 attached to the lower end of a working barrel, and"the port 19 is provided in the nipple adjacent the coupling. A. coupling 22 ismounted on the lower end of the nipple and provided with an internal annular shoulder 23, the strainer being screwthreadedly attached to the coupling and the gas trap pipe mounted on the threaded shoulder. V

In using the device, the pump will operatein the normal manner so long as'thelevel of the liquid in the well is above the port, the pump drawing liquid freely through the gas trap pipe from the pocket, and also drawing a relatively small amount of liquid through the port.

a When the level of liquid recedes below the port, air will pass through the port into the valve and form an elastic body which will preventthe pump from drawing liquid from the well. The pocket will thus permanently contain liquid, and the sealing of the face of the pocket by air and gases will be prevented.

I hen a further quantity of oil percolates into the pocket and is forced thereinto and upwardly in the well by gas pressures, the port will be covered and liquid will pass upwardly into the working barrel so that reciprocation of the plunger will result in lifting the liquid.

The operation of the apparatus is similar when an extending nipple 20 is installed, the elongated nipple corresponding to the portion of the coupling between the lower end ofthe valve cage and the upper end of the gas trap pipe, and its purpose being to extend the strainer a greater distance clownwardly from theworking barrel into an oil pocket.

lVhat'I claim and desire-to secure ters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character described including a casing, a working barrel, a standing valve support in the barrel having a lower end depending below the barrel, a strainer, and a gas trap pipe adapted to depend in the strainer, a coupling including upper andlower portions screw threaded to receive respectively the barrel and the strainer and adapted to support the valve support, said coupling including an intermediate portion provided with a port located below the valve support for admitting air from the casing to the barrel, said lower portion having an internal threaded shoulder for supporting the gas trap pipe in spaced relation with the strainer.

2. In an oil well pump of the character described including a working barrel having a standing valve support in its lower end, a gas trap pipe, and a strainer, a coupling having openings at upper and lower ends threaded to receive respectively the working barrel and the strainer and adapted-to support the valve support, and having an internally threaded portion of reduced diameter adjacent the lower opening, the gas trap pipe being dependingly supported by said portion in spaced relation with the straii' er to form a gas trapping chamber, said coupling having a port for admitting fluid from the well to the working barrel.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE A. HELMLING.

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